Where next for management’s consiglieri?

The ceo-whisperers of Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group (bcg) and McKinsey, the trio at the pinnacle of management consulting, are accustomed to operating in the shadows. Of late, though, they have been thrust into the light by scandals. Bain has come under fire for gutting South Africa’s tax office. bcg has been criticised for its close ties to Saudi Arabia’s autocratic de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, and for allegedly profiting from corruption in Angola. In a new exposé published on October 5th, “When McKinsey Comes to Town”, Walt Bogdanich and Michael Forsythe of the New York Times pile on with a harrowing account of decades of dishonourable exploits at McKinsey, the biggest name in the business.